VW Passat B8 Phone Tray (90° Rotated USB Port)

I created this VW Passat B8 phone tray because my iPhone 8 with cover didn't fit into the standard one.

Rotating the USB port by 90° it has space for phones with a length of up to about 15 cm which is about 11mm more than the standard tray offers.

Please note that this model doesn't include the hooks on the bottom for the external antenna coupling. My car doesn't have one but I think it can be added easily.

• TX20 Screwdriver
• 2 thin tools to remove the USB port from its old housing

3D Model

You can find the 3D model here at prusaprinters.org

Material

I printed the part in PET to get a better temperature resistance as it can get quite hot in the car during summer.

The best solution would be ABS I guess, as this is also used for the original part...

Support

Support is needed for the USB housing only. The material inside is a bit hard to remove so it makes sense to print with soluble support if possible. I didn't try to print the USB housing without inner support. It might work but will probably not have the right dimensions to accommodate the USB port afterwards.

Layer height

I used 0.15 mm layer height to facilitate post processing i.e. sanding the part.

20% Infill

Post Processing

I just sanded the parts which are visible using 250, 400 and 500 grit wet sandpaper. Especially the USB housing and the slope at the front.

1. Pull the gear lever cover form the far end side upwards, it will pop out
2. Unplug the cable from the gear lever cover
3. Remove the four TX20 screws carefully and store them somwhere. Don't let them fall into the gear box like someone I know did...
4. Start lifting the whole console cover up
5. Close the tray and pull out the cover until you can access the plugs underneath.
6. Remove the two or three plugs fron underneath.
7. Lift the front completely up and unplug the USB port (green plug)
8. Carefully remove the console cover completely

1. Locate the four clips which hold the tray
2. Start to loosen them starting from the right side
3. Flip the tray towards you and carefully pull it out of the console cover

Be careful to not break the plastic around the USB port if you want to reuse the old tray.

1. Locate the two clips which hold the USB port in its housing
2. I succeeded to remove the port using two flat tools to push back the housing around the clips and by pulling the USB port at the same time.

1. If you removed all of the support material from the new USB housing, the USB port should fit in perfectly
2. Start inserting the new tray from the front
3. Bring the holes close to the clips but don't try to close everything yet
4. To snap the console covers tongue (right arrow) into the tray groove (left arrow) you need to press the console covers back (right arrow) towards the part of the tray with the holes. You need to apply some force to make the clips snap into the holes at the same time.
5. The new tray should fit perfectly as shown in the pictures

1. Close the tray cover and place the whole part that you can plug the USB cable back (green plug)
2. Bring the console cover down and stick the gear lever through the hole
3. Plug the console cover plugs back in (not the one of the gear lever, yet)
4. With the tray cover closed, push everything back into place. you might need to move the far end of the console cover a bit in and out to find the right position where it fits back in. You shouldn't need excessive force.
5. Put the four TX20 screws back and tighten them
6. Snap the gear lever cover back into place, inserting the close end first and pushing the far end down

Everything should look like before, except you have a bit more space in the compartment.